If two recent exhibitions of art by Canadian medical students are any indication, the next generation of physicians is determined to keep empathy on the curriculum. This spring 23 students at Dalhousie University participated in the fifth annual Art in Medicine exhibit, this time choosing osteoporosis as the theme. The exhibition title, matrix, refers both to the structure of bone tissue and to the project coordinators' hope that new perspectives will take form: “This project is about ideas and thoughtfulness. It is hoped that by sharing these ideas, they may serve as a matrix for further discussion and exploration.”1 The “searching from within” encouraged by the project involved personal reflection and listening to the perspectives of patients affected by osteoporosis.
Listening to patients was also essential to the University of Manitoba's second annual medical art show. Thirty students participated in a five-month project to explore the theme of infertility. Each had an opportunity to learn from affected patients about the social and emotional implications of infertility. The student organizers of the program write that they “gained insight into a prevalent and potentially devastating medical condition from a perspective that is not offered in textbooks or lectures.” The Medical Humanities Art Program Web site archives the complete exhibition with comments by the artists; it merits a leisurely visit at www.vision.ca/mhap — CMAJ
Figure. Patrick Feltmate, Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine, Class of 2003. Fragility. Digital image, from matrix: an exhibition on osteoporosis. The artist writes: “We cannot directly sense our bone density. This makes osteoporosis an unusual condition. It is defined in the Merck Manual of Geriatrics as being ‘a silent disease because, until a fracture occurs, symptoms are absent.’ While this may technically be true, like any disease, having it cannot be completely unnoticeable to the patient. A diagnosis of osteoporosis means having the knowledge that a fall will cause a fracture, which all too often leads to permanent loss of mobility and even life. On an urgent trip to the bathroom, in dim light, in the loneliness and isolation of the night, I think that many would argue that their osteoporosis is far from ‘silent.’ This image is intended to convey the feeling of being brittle.”
Figure. Exhibition postcard from Images of inFertility. Art work (left to right) by Adena Madison, Thang Nguyn and Lisa Anttila, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba. Adena Madison writes: “When I listened to all of the stories from couples who were experiencing infertility, there was one thing that I kept hearing, over and over. Women no longer felt they identified with their friends, fit in at the same parties, or could be included in the same conversations. ... My art piece represents not only the physical sense of loss that a woman feels, but also the sense that society just looks straight through you.”
Reference
- 1.↵
Harrison R, Gupta K, Spencer L, Lovas D. matrix [exhibition catalogue]. Halifax: Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine; 2003.